Special Thanks to...

Jess McKeegan - For your continued Love, Friendship, Professional Legal Counsel and support of not only me, but for my musical adventures and for insisting that this project be only my own original songs. Good Call Sweetheart! I could not have asked for a better Partner - Musical or otherwise!

David Lange - For all your insight, experience and hard work on this project. I couldn’t have picked a person with better ears or a better place to record!

Hank & Kit Cramer and Ferryboat Music - For making me a part of the Ferryboat Family - AND for all the CD Graphics, Marketing Advise, Gigs, Studio Time, Travel, Stories, Music and adventure!

Kevin Jones - For your continued friendship, music and encouragement over the years - AND for your musical and recording talents!

Roger Hamilton - For building me the best guitar I’ve ever owned. You told me I had better “Play the Hell out of it” and I can proudly say that there is NO Hell in that guitar (not there ever was) and (unfortunately) you can tell by looking at it…

Darrell Prowse - For the use of your 1930’s era Vintage RCA Ribbon Microphone. All the Harmonica parts on this project were recorded with that mic!

Other Most Honorable Mentions and Dear Friends-

Let us not forget Kat Simmons, Phil (Bags) Belfiori, Elaine Osborn Robinson, Scott Iler, Su Ross-Benson (and the Parrotheads Of Puget Sound), The First Friday Musicians, Victory Music, Chris Lunn & Ancient Victorys, my Grand Parents and Great Grand Parents, The 3RFS Tumbleweed Music Festival, my Michigan Friends and whoever it was that sent me the email about the dead Blues Musician - None of this would have happened if not for you all!

Mark Iler

Steve Smith

Abe Quarless

David on the Board

Hank Cramer

Mark in the Studio

It's About Time

The Songs & Musicians

Raven Eyes

Though we’re no longer married, Elaine is still a dear friend and my Web Master. And, yes - she had a bit of a shopping habit at the time that I, quite frankly, did not discourage (we DID have fun!). No worries - she likes the song...

Caribbean Daydream (St. Somewhere)

I was sitting in my office one February, looking out my window as the rain melted the snow and started to think about Palm Trees and Sandy Beaches and the ability to wear my Flip-Flops. The only thing that prevented me from buying a fun ticket to Key West was the work I had already scheduled…

Dead Man's Blues

I received a bunch of musician jokes in the email. Question: “What does it say on a Blues Singers Tombstone?” Answer: “I didn’t wake up this morning” I thought... What a great opening line to a song! **BLUES DISCLAIMER! This is NOT a real Blues song. This is a song written in the Blues Style. Let’s be real here folks… I have no right to sing the blues. I live with a beautiful woman in a lovely home with all the modern technical trappings like Cell Phone, Computer, a Big Screen for watching Movies, a Nice Car, Chickens and Ducks in the yard for fresh eggs as well as lovely Vegetable & Flower Gardens - plus I have a great job. I have nothing to sing the blues about. I just like to write goofy songs…

New Orleans

It’s amazing what a cold sloppy winter day in the Northwest can bring out. I actually got to go there on an Audio job in 2001. I had planned on extending my stay by about a week so that I could really check the place out (I had never been there), but had to have an emergency Appendectomy 2 days before the job. My doctor said I could still go only if I didn’t have to lift anything more than a dinner fork - and only if I came home as soon as the job was done. At least my hotel was on Bourbon Street, but that’s all I saw. I need to get back there…

For The Company

Back in the late 80’s I was working for a production company in Michigan and was traveling a LOT! Even now when I’m on the road without Jess, I really look forward to seeing her smiling face when I get home. She tells me that I have one foot out the door, but I remind her that I have the other foot firmly planted at Camp Olympia (the nickname for our Log Cabin Home).

Key West Sunset (A Toast For The Sun)

I attended a Jimmy Buffett “Parrotheads” Convention in Key West with some friends and I got inspired. This is about that. When I say Duvall, I’m talking about Duvall Street in Key West - The street where you’ll find most of the Bars, Restaurants and Tourist Shops in town. Fond memories indeed. Mix yourself a Boat Drink and get ready for some island time!

A true account of the Great White Hurricane of 1913 that affected the Great Lakes surrounding Michigan. I wrote this for my Great Grandfather Walter Cole Iler (In his voice) who was the Captain of the George G. Crawford, a Great Lakes Ore Freighter and one of the longest Ore Boats on the Lakes at the time. Over 25 ships were lost over 3 days on the Great Lakes and his was 1 of only 2 that survived on Lake Huron that day. It was storms like this, I’m sure, that added many years to my Great Grandmother’s life in just a few days. This song originally appeared on a CD by Hank Cramer and Constellation’s Crew called “Back To Sea”… an excellent CD to have in your collection! I updated the song by replacing the fiddle part with Jess’s whistle part (apologies to David Hakala who is a wonderful fiddle player), re-singing the main Vocals and adding Kevin Jones to the Chorus Vocals.

Moonshine Peaches

Inspired by our First Friday Jam Musicians after putting out on the snack table these tasty but potent treats sent to me by my dear friend Kat who had the experience described in the opening line of the song...

Cross That Bridge

Written for the 2013 Tumbleweed Folk Festival Songwriting Contest in Richland, WA. The theme was "Bridges”. I never entered a Songwriting Contest before and I got in as a finalist - I didn’t win, but Jess and I had a great time playing it!

Cross Roads

Mark - Vocals, Hamilton Guitar & Harmonica

Written for the 2012 Tumbleweed Folk Festival Songwriting Contest in Richland, WA. The theme was “Crossroads”. Kit Cramer suggested that I Make it “Cross Roads” - meaning upset, mean, nasty, etc. I ended up having to work the weekend of the festival and never entered it in the contest. It pretty much sounds like this when I play it live - like it was recorded with 1 microphone ala early Bob Dylan. I like to think it won…

The Lady & Captain

Back in the late 70’s, I found out that my Great Grandfather was the Captain of a Great Lakes Ore Freighter in the early 1900’s - then I thought of my Great Grandmother and what it must have been like to wait for him to come home. This one’s for her.

Moments

Written back in the early 80’s for a friend’s wedding. I ended up playing this for quite a few weddings back then. Jess and I share the Lead Vocals on this one. Though I didn’t write this for us in particular, it certainly applies!

Bag Of Friends

Mark - Martin 5-15 Terz Guitar Paul - Upright Bass Steve - Egg Shaker

Written while waiting for 5 hours at the San Francisco Airport for my flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I was flying there to see my friend Phil (Bags) Belfiori and go for a bicycle ride along the Main & Rhine Rivers. I played it for him when I got there and mentioned that I couldn’t come up with a good name for the piece. He said, “Why don’t you call it “Bags Of Friends”?”. My first thought was “Perfect!”. Thanks Bags!

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About Us

Based in the Pacific Northwest, Jess McKeegan and her partner, Mark Iler, as well as Julie Bennett perform as a trio playing everything from Old Pop and Rock Songs, Tropical Rock and Folk Classics to Celtic Tunes Sets and Sea shanties.